WCF, REST, SSL, Client, custom certificate validat

Question

I have a specific problem that I can't solve. Let me explain in detail. I'm new to this technology so I might be using some wrong terms. Please correct and explain or ask for explanation if you don't understand. I am creating a self hosted WCF REST server, hosted in WPF application. It uses https, SLL with WebHttpSecurityMode.Transport. I am using my own generated certificate. I would like to create a WinForms client that would use this service. The format of the response form the server is JSON. I would like to validate the certificate on the client with my custom validator inherited from X509CertificateValidator.

This is my server side code. I'm using a custom username validator that works fine. I have configured the certificate in the IIS Manager on my machine for the Default Website > Bindings, where I have generated the certificate (Windows 7).

WebServiceHost sh = new WebServiceHost(typeof(ReachService)); 
string uri = "https://localhost:9000/Service"; 
WebHttpBinding wb = new WebHttpBinding(); 
wb.Security.Mode = WebHttpSecurityMode.Transport; 
wb.Security.Transport.ClientCredentialType = HttpClientCredentialType.Basic;
sh.AddServiceEndpoint(typeof(IReachService), wb, uri);
sh.Credentials.UserNameAuthentication.CustomUserNamePasswordValidator = new CustomUserNameValidator();
sh.Credentials.UserNameAuthentication.UserNamePasswordValidationMode = UserNamePasswordValidationMode.Custom;

sh.Open();

and this is my client code

Uri uri = new Uri("https://localhost:9000/Service");
WebChannelFactory<ReachService> cf = new WebChannelFactory<IReachService>(uri);
WebHttpBinding wb = cf.Endpoint.Binding as WebHttpBinding;
wb.Security.Transport.ClientCredentialType = HttpClientCredentialType.Basic;
wb.Security.Mode = WebHttpSecurityMode.Transport;
cf.Credentials.ServiceCertificate.Authentication.CertificateValidationMode = X509CertificateValidationMode.Custom;
cf.Credentials.ServiceCertificate.Authentication.CustomCertificateValidator = new CustomCertificateValidator("PL2"); // this is the name that issued the certificate
cf.Credentials.UserName.UserName = "user1"; 
cf.Credentials.UserName.Password = "user1";
IReachService service = cf.CreateChannel();
try
{
  CustomersList auth = service.GetCustomers();
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
   throw new Exception(ex.Message);
}

on calling service.GetCustomers() I get: Could not establish trust relationship for the SSL/TLS secure channel with authority 'localhost:9000'. InnerException Message: The underlying connection was closed: Could not establish trust relationship for the SSL/TLS secure channel. InnerException Message: The remote certificate is invalid according to the validation procedure.

The server is working fine when I test in the browser. But the client code is wrong cause it doesn't go to the custom cert validator class. And this class is the same as in the MSDN example on http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.identitymodel.selectors.x509certificatevalidator.aspx.

Can anyone please tell me where am I going wrong with this approach?

If you need more info please ask.

Thank you

Answer 1

If you want to use WCF on the client, then don't use WebHttpBinding, stick with the SOAP stuff it will work much better.
However, if you want to use a standard HTTP client like, WebClient or HttpWebRequest or HttpClient V.prototype or HttpClient V.Next then stick with the webHttpBinding.

Sorry for not addressing your direct question but you are likely to run into more problems because you are using a binding that was intended to make WCF services accessible to non-WCF platforms but then using WCF to try and access it.

Answer 2

It looks like the issue occurs because certificate was issued for some other hostname. You can check this (and customize if necessary) by providing custom ServicePointManager.ServerCertificateValidationCallback.

Answer 3

//don't use HttpWebRequest --you lose all of the strongly-typed method and data contracts!

//the code to create the channel and call a method:

SetCertPolicy(); 
var cf1 = new WebChannelFactory<TService>(new Uri(remoteServiceAddressSecure));
var service = cf1.CreateChannel();
sevice.DoMethod();

protected static void SetCertPolicy()
        {
            ServicePointManager.ServerCertificateValidationCallback += RemoteCertValidate;
        }

private static bool RemoteCertValidate(object sender, X509Certificate cert, X509Chain chain,
                SslPolicyErrors error)
        {
            // trust any cert!!!
            return true;
        }